David Purdum

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LAS VEGAS -- The alarm went off at 4:30 a.m. It was the first sound of the Madness, Thursday in Las Vegas.

An hour later, I arrived at the Mirage race and sports book. I was not the first one there. Some had been camped out since 3 a.m., including one gentleman who was told by security that he could sleep, just not lying down across three chairs.

The place filled up quickly. Everyone stared at the Mirage’s new toy, an 85’ x 19’ HD screen, capable of showing 10 games at once. The screen stretches across the entire front of the sports book, right above the betting windows. It truly is magnificent. It better be for the $1.5 million MGM forked over for it.

Bettors, necks craned, stared in awe at the screen while they waited their turn to attack the point spreads on the first full day of the NCAA Tournament. The lines to bet didn’t grow past 20-deep and moved quickly. Money and purple drink tickets were flowing.

The early action was on Memphis, which before 8 a.m. went from a small underdog to a small favorite over Saint Mary’s. Shortly after that, a $20,000 bet came in on Valparaiso. Valpo, a 10.5-point underdog, lost by 11 to Michigan State.

It was elbow-to-elbow – and loud – by mid-morning. Bucknell fans cheered as their team made a second-half run. Butler fans roared after their team pulled away. Grown men dropped blaring F-bombs with every missed shot or turnover – in the first five minutes of the game. It was hilarious.

Mirage assistant manager Jeff Stoneback manned the front of the house, while vice president Jay Rood stayed behind the scenes, glued to the computer screen showing the hundreds of thousands of dollars being wagered at MGM properties.

It was a predominantly square crowd. Stoneback said there were three professional bettors in the house that he knew of. Maybe it was the guy in the sleeveless red t-shirt with maroon sweat pants. Or maybe it was the grey-haired gentlemen who rarely took his eyes of giant red and green board displaying the point spreads and totals. Hard to imagine it was the bald guy who was four Coronas down and cursing out Michigan State if the Spartans didn’t get every rebound.

None of them were having more fun than Regan Kelly from Denver. A recent widow, Kelly’s daughters gave her a plane ticket and hotel reservation for Christmas. It was her first March Madness in Vegas, and she was tackling it by herself.

She used to bring her late husband to the Mirage. He had been injured in a car accident and confined to a wheel chair. Kelly said the sports book was one of the places he felt most comfortable. He would have been proud of her, after she hit a four-team $100 parlay that paid $1,100 on Wednesday night, her biggest winning bet to date.

Mark Iacofano drove 2,100 miles from Ohio to scratch ‘March Madness in Vegas’ off his bucket list. He was part of a group of high school friends that included Dan and Debbie Zdanowicz.

High-school sweethearts, the Zdanowiczs have been taking in the Madness in Vegas since the mid-80s. Things have changed.

“You used to just be able show up 15 minutes before a game and have no problem getting a seat,” said Dan. “Now you have to get here at 4 in the morning.”

Change of scenery

After a Bloody Mary, Red Bull and Advil breakfast, I headed to the Wynn sports book. It was full, but definitely a much tamer scene than at the Mirage. Two of the three biggest TVs were showing horse racing. Talk about madness.

I bumped into John Avello, who runs the book at the Wynn, at the special conference-room setup at the adjacent Encore property.

“The action has been great,” said Avello, a veteran and always dapperly-dressed Vegas bookmaker. “Lots of $20,000 and $30,000 bets, with a few $50,000.

“Watch for the late moves,” he added. “That’s the sharp money in the tournament.”

Home base

By 2 p.m., I was back in a cab, headed back to the South Point hotel and casino, my headquarters for the week.

The ballroom setup at South Point is gigantic with TVs everywhere, an auxiliary sports book and even two regulation basketball goals. I said the rims looked high. Former UCLA star Ed O’Bannon measured them to be sure.

In the end, even the though the Mirage’s new screen is glorious, I’ll remember the sounds of Madness more than the sights. The passion of sports book crowds rivals any college football game I’ve covered.

I’ll remember that collective gasp that paralyzed the Mirage sports book, when Michigan State turned it over, leading by 13 with seconds to play. It was followed by giant sigh of relief, as Valpo’s Ben Boggs elected for an uncontested dunk instead of attempting a potential covering 3-pointer.